Learn Liberty Blog
Featured Learn Liberty Blog Posts
Civil Liberties
My Experience with Campus Climate at a Liberal Arts College
William F. Buckley famously authored God and Man at Yale in 1951. In it, he decried his alma mater’s overt efforts to undermine what he called good, American values such as faith, capitalism, and individualism. Today, I assert that institutions of higher schooling everywhere undermine — or fail to instill — other crucial values; values that underpin the very idea of higher education. In particular: appreciation for freedom of speech, academic freedom, open debate, and fearless, intellectual rigor. For more on freedom of speech, see Prof. Peter Jaworski’s Learn Liberty Video, The
History
Debunking Putin’s Alternative “History”
On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin commenced a brutal, full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Two years on from this calamity, let’s examine
Democracy and Voting
The Soviet Union’s terrible legacy on democracy and minority rights
From the series: Debunking Myths about the Soviet Union Since they first seized power, Soviet leaders have claimed their “democracy” to be
All Learn Liberty Blog Posts
Uncategorized
Ayn Rand Seminar at ISFLC
If you’re interested in Ayn Rand’s writing and will be attending the International Students for Liberty Conference, come a day early and learn about Ayn Rand’s unique and integrated moral-philosophical argument and its connection to a free society. The seminar will examine three of her essays, “The Objectivist Ethics,” “Man’s Rights,” and “What Is Capitalism” […]
Uncategorized
Do You Want to Live in the World of Atlas Shrugged?
Author Ayn Rand is one of the most divisive thinkers of the modern era, but does her work hint at themes that are common to most if not all of us? In honor of her birthday, take a moment to reflect on whether or not you would want to live in the world Rand created […]
Voting
What You Probably Haven't Heard About Citizens United
Did the Supreme Court decision in the case Citizens United vs. FEC really sell out democracy to corporations? Professor Bradley Smith disagrees and explains why treating corporations as persons for purposes of the law is important and beneficial for society in this Learn Liberty video.
War on Drugs
Learn Liberty on Periscope This Week
If you haven’t checked us out on Periscope make sure to stay tuned this week, to discuss our new video releases and help us choose our next video! These are our scheduled streams for this week: Monday, February 1st @ 4pm EST – “Vice City – Government regulations and prohibitions of Drugs, Alcohol and Cigarettes” […]
Uncategorized
Tax Shield: The Tax man and the Aspiring Minimalist
Fill in the blank: “He who dies with the most toys _______________.” If you answered “dies,” award yourself full credit. If you answered “wins,” read on and revisit your answer when you’re finished. My wife and I just sold our house in the suburbs and bought a cheaper, smaller house in the city. We’re thrilled […]
Voting
Featured On Demand Program of the Week: Citizens Divided
How much do you really know about the electoral process? In this program, we take a fresh look at elections and voting and address some of the common misconceptions. Did the Citizens United case really make corporations people? Should we ban money in politics? How can Super PACs and political ads improve democracy, while a […]
Education
Censors Getting High on Their Own Authority
Forbidden to wear a t-shirt featuring a plant leaf? Isn’t this the Land of the Free? A U.S. District Court in Iowa agrees. It recently upheld the First Amendment rights of a student group at Iowa State University after administrators tried to stop them from wearing t-shirts featuring images of marijuana leaves. School officials, according […]
Environmentalism
Discussion Question: Externalities
Milton the rancher lives downriver from a large chemical factory. In the past month, the chemical factory has been disposing of chemical waste in the river, which has flowed downstream and poisoned Milton’s cattle. Milton is also a libertarian-minded person and prefers to keep government out of his life and out of the lives of […]
Uncategorized
Did you know that Adam Smith coined the term the “Invisible Hand”?
The term “invisible hand” is a metaphor coined by Adam Smith to describe unintended social benefits resulting from individual actions. The term first appeared in Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments, written in 1759. You can read the Theory of Moral Sentiments online here, or check out Learn Liberty’s video on the topic below:
Education
National School Choice Week
Imagine being required to use the dry-cleaner in your neighborhood, even if you prefer the services, prices, and quality of the one across town. That’s the scenario that most American parents are in when it comes to sending their children to public school. For the most part, they are prisoners of their neighborhoods, required to […]
Uncategorized
Part-time Position for Pros at Prose
Are you interested in writing? Do you have an eye for detail and a strong opinion about the Oxford comma? The John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy is seeking a Part-Time Editor to edit and fact-check commentaries and work with authors under deadlines. The ideal candidate is familiar with classical liberal ideas and […]
Civil Liberties
The Gun Control Debate, Explained With Dogs
Gun control is a topic which never fails to inspire heated debate. In addition to the vehement passion of groups which support or oppose gun control, conversations about restrictions on gun ownership are further complicated by a lack of agreement and understanding of gun vocabulary. Dan Bier at the Foundation for Economic Education explains: “But […]
Uncategorized
Quote of the Day: The Wisdom of Mises
The argument no proponent of central planning has ever been able to overcome; if humans can’t be trusted with freedom, how can they be trusted with power?
Uncategorized
How to Fix Our Fiscal Crisis
The Congressional Budget Office announced last week that the growth of the federal budget deficit will outpace the growth of the economy in 2016 for the first time since 2009. The drag this places on economic growth is hard to overstate, but what can be done to solve this problem for the future? Harvard University’s […]
Uncategorized
What's Happening This Week on Periscope?
If you haven’t checked us out on Periscope make sure to stay tuned this week, to discuss our new video releases and help us choose our next video! These are our scheduled streams for this week: Monday, January 25th at 4pm EST – “Getting Politics Out of Education” School Choice Week Discussion Wednesday, January 27th at 2pm EST […]
Uncategorized
The First Rule of Wing-Walking
Wing-walking was the practice of getting out of the cockpit of a biplane (while someone else was flying the thing) and staggering along the wing holding onto struts or wires. It was a thrill show for onlookers at air shows and barnstorming events in the 1920s and 1930s in the U.S. But for the wing-walker […]
Poverty & Inequality
The Criminal Justice System is Turning Martin Luther King’s Dream Into a Nightmare
Americans across the country celebrated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. this week. And while this is an opportunity to remember all that MLK has done for the civil rights movement, it’s also a chance to reflect on the progress that still needs to be made. Exhibit A: the criminal justice system. In the […]
Uncategorized
Featured On Demand Program of the Week: America's Health Care System
If you follow the news, you’ve probably seen plenty of coverage on ObamaCare or the Affordable Care Act. Even if you don’t follow the news, it’s hard to go for more than a few days without hearing someone mention their insurance premiums, high cost of care, or some other frustration with health care. All the […]
Uncategorized
Historical Inspirations Behind Star Wars
It took Star Wars: The Force Awakens just 20 days to become the number one North American movie of all time. Obi Wan Kenobi might say the movie has become more powerful than we could possibly imagine. But there are a few things about the movie franchise that even hardcore fans may not know. For […]
Education
What would Martin Luther King, Jr. think of today’s limits on free speech?
As America celebrates the life and work of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is important to remember all the work MLK did for free speech on behalf of minorities. The day before his assassination in 1968, King delivered a speech in which he highlighted the importance of First Amendment rights in the civil rights […]
Uncategorized
Liberty Against Privilege: The Life and Thought of Lysander Spooner
The following is an excerpt from Matt Zwolinski’s blog post over at Libertarianism.org on the life and thought of radical abolitionist, anarchist, entrepreneur, advocate of women’s suffrage and libertarian Lysander Spooner. Spooner wrote about a variety of topics – from slavery to intellectual property to his own proposed system of free banking. And of course […]
Uncategorized
What happens when you legalize drugs?
Did you know? After decriminalizing drug use years ago, Portugal has actually experienced a decrease in drug abuse. While supporters of the drug war often argue that decriminalizing or legalizing drug use would increase drug abuse, the case of Portugal shows that’s not the case. Check out the video below for some more (absurd) reasons […]
Uncategorized
Compulsory Union Dues Before the Supreme Court
Reason Magazine is reporting on the beginning of oral arguments in the case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association before the Supreme Court. Todd Krainin writes: “The unions force me to fund collective bargaining efforts that are harmful to my students,” declared plaintiff Rebecca Friedrichs on the steps of the Supreme Court. “And that’s offensive to […]